Chelsea vs Southampton: As it happened

Home clash: Jose Mourinho's Chelsea team will be looking to secure another win at home when they host Southampton (GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Chelsea hosted Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening hoping to get their season back on track following their disappointing Champions League loss to Porto in midweek.

After the Blues looked to have turned their season around following three wins on the trot against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Arsenal and Walsall, Porto brought the reigning Premier League champions crashing back down to earth by beating them 2-1 at the Estadio do Dragao.

Jose Mourinho's side were at fault for making more careless defensive errors in the game after the Portuguese tactician had boldly decided to drop Chelsea stars Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic from his starting line-up while keeping captain John Terry on the bench.

After admitting he is currently experiencing his worst period of his career to date, Mourinho called on his players to not act like ostriches by burying their heads in the sand but rather step up and respond against Southampton.

But it did not happen on Saturday. Despite taking a 1-0 lead through yet another fine Willian free kick, Chelsea conceded three times to lose their sixth game in all competitions this season and leave them in 16th place.

Porto vs Chelsea: Player Ratings

Porto vs Chelsea: Player Ratings

1/11
Asmir Begovic: 7

One of Chelsea’s best players on the pitch. The goalkeeper made several saves to deny the likes of Aboubakar and Brahimi throughout the game and, despite his one-handed stop to keep out Brahimi’s first-half effort, he could do nothing to stop Andre opening the scoring.

2/11
Branislav Ivanovic: 4

After failing to clear an early Porto effort, the full-back – acting as captain in John Terry’s absence – allowed Brahimi to dribble past him all too easily seconds before the opener. Although he made a vital block to deny the Porto midfielder in the second half, Ivanovic should have equalised but headed Willian’s corner wide. Another under-par performance from the right-back.

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3/11
Kurt Zouma: 5

Failed to put in the strong and dominating displays he has shown in the past and looked uncomfortable as he and Cahill were too often run past by Aboubakar and Brahimi. Communication between the pair is appearing to be an issue.

4/11
Gary Cahill: 4

Failed to shepherd his back line well enough during the set piece that Maicon made it 2-1 from, and should have done better to mark the Porto defender. Was often dragged out of position and didn’t show the leadership skills that were sorely needed to control the likes of Aboubakar.

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5/11
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6

Defended well overall and literally put his body on the line to keep out an early shot, but did not see Andre advancing for the opener. Was then shown a yellow card for pulling the Porto winger back and began to lose the battle to control him in the second half.

6/11
John Obi Mikel: 5

Looked good in the early stages of the game, but failed to really control Brahimi in the middle of the park, which led to the Porto man running riot and being involved in the opening goal. Was replaced by Hazard in the second half.

7/11
Cesc Fabregas: 5

Tested Casillas with a long-range shot in the sixth minute that proved to be one of Chelsea’s best chances early on, but the Spaniard failed to once again impress when needed to create attacks.

8/11
Ramires: 5

Was deployed on the right and his inclusion in the starting XI paid off when the Brazilian won the free-kick that Willian scored from. However, he was later out-muscled by Maicon, which allowed the Porto captain to seal the win. Was taken off in the 70th minute for Hazard.

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9/11
Willian: 8

Worked hard in midfield and, on more than one occasion, the Brazilian tracked back to help defend. He capped off a good display with a brilliant free-kick that restored parity for the visitors.

10/11
Pedro: 5

Mourinho started the Spain international on the left after utilising him on the right following his summer move to the club and, aside from his powerful shot that Casillas saved in the 13th minute, Pedro disappointed. He failed to provide the service that Costa desperately needed and was taken off in the second half.

11/11
Diego Costa: 6

Despite missing Chelsea’s last two games, the striker was lively and got past Maxi Pereira time and time again in the first period. He was unlucky not to have scored when his powerful curling shot hit the bar in the second half, but the main issue for Costa was that he was left isolated too often – which forced him to drop deep to find the ball. He also should have been awarded a penalty when his shot ricocheted off Marcano’s arm in the area with minutes of the game left.